kicking ass– in a very peaceful kind of way

The Piece Of Advice I Never Imagined I Would Receive From a Fitness Professional

A few weeks back I attended the largest fitness conference in Canada, and, as you can imagine, I was in my bliss.

Previous to the event I had my own mental bucket list of things I wanted to do and people I wanted to see. One of those people was Dr. John Berardi, co-founder of Precision Nutrition.

Yours truly with Dr. John Berardi, Canfitpro 2014

There are many reasons why I have felt a pull towards this company from the first time I heard about their coaching techniques and ideology, but to make a long story short you need to know that it was mainly because it makes sense. Their no bullshit, direct, common sense approach just felt right to me, and I have felt compelled to learn from them all that I can ever since.

So when I found out Dr. B. would be presenting at the Canfitpro cleared my schedule and made sure I was there early.

I approached the conference room and saw him standing by the door, greeting attendees. Never mind that he recognized me right away from reviewing my pictures from the photo shoot I did for his company last month (that alone was super cool, obviously!), but he was attentive and kind. He has a very gentle nature that shines through as he looks people in the eye and genuinely engages.

My first appearance in the Precision Nutrition website.

At the end of his talk and as the room emptied, a few of us huddled at the front for a more personal round of questions with Dr. B. My turn came, and this is where I heard the unthinkable.

You see, I had a question about my own physique. I wanted to solve a mystery about my own body composition, but I also had –unknowingly– already created a pre-conceived idea of what this uber successful fitness pro was going to tell me. I was sure he would prescribe me a specific macro ratio formula. He would certainly mention the ultimate research regarding effective exercise to achieve my goal. For good measure, he would surely finish off with some wise guru-ish comment about how it is all in me, and my ability to change is powerful.

But what I got is, I got schooled in the most beautiful way.

“I’m in the process of weaning my baby,” I began my story. “And lately it feels like almost overnight a very slight but noticeable to me layer of fat has appeared on my abdomen. Is it hormone changes? Is it stress and cortisol? Why is it there? And is there something I can do to get rid of it?”

In my head I was ready to mentally record the complicated formulas and prescriptions I was sure he would throw at me. I had to pay attention and not let a detail escape me!

But…

“Well… you don’t have to do anything,” he responded calmly.

I must have looked at least half as confused as I felt. But, the formulas! The supplements! The complicated advice!

None of that came out of his mouth.

What he did say, however, has forever re-arranged my views on myself and even on my coaching practice.

“Of course there are things you could do if you really wanted to, but is it necessary? Instead, you could take a moment to trust your body and understand that your body knows what it is doing. It knows how to sort itself out. You exercise. You know how to eat. You can trust your body will get itself where it needs to be. Because it knows how.”

Trust the process.

Trust your body.

And while I’m at it, stop assuming that everything requires a fix, a change, an improvement. It is so true, my body does know what it’s doing, and it’s about time I give it proper credit.